§ 21. Mr. StanbrookTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will consider proposals for constitutional reform in Northern Ireland based upon the redrawing of the border, the provision of generous resettlement grants for those affected who may wish to move across the new border in either direction, and the subsequent total integration of the Province with the rest of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Tom KingI refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 20 October at columns1003–4.
Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what date he received the written proposals from the Unionist parties for political progress in Northern Ireland; and whether he has yet made a full written response.
§ Mr. Tom KingThe right hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Mr. Molyneaux) and the hon. Member for Antrim, North (Rev. Ian Paisley) handed me a three page "discussion paper" in the course of my meeting with them on 26 January. I had thorough discussion of this paper with them on 11 May. In the course of our talks, the Unionist leaders stressed to me that they wished their "discussion paper" to be treated on a strictly confidential basis; that it was only an outline of their ideas; and that it represented only a starting point for negotiations with the other constitutional parties. I have sought to respect the status of their paper and the basis on which it was given to me.
As I have said on a number of occasions, this "discussion paper" seems to me to set out a constructive approach. I believe the next step is to find ways of moving towards an inter-party dialogue. While I recognise the obstacle that was then created for the Unionist parties by the talks between the SDLP and Sinn Fein, that obstacle has now disappeared. I have since suggested to the Unionist leaders that we should meet again shortly to discuss the way forward and to clarify the basis on which their outline proposals might be further considered.